Microsoft Rumored to be Considering BlackBerrry Purchase

[exfileme]

Microsoft is supposedly still eying BlackBerry for its presence in the enterprise market.

Microsoft Rumored to be Considering BlackBerrry Purchase : Read more

 

[chicofehr]

If they do, I hope they still make them with keyboards. Its the main reason I still use blackberry.

 

[Stimpack]

I hope they don't pay much.

 

[therealduckofdeath]

Please, have some dignity Microsoft. When did you turn into bottom feeders?
BB is a dead business, just like Palm was when HP bought them. A waste of money.

 

[Guest]

microsoft buying dying companies,mean while their sales is also low, microsoft is on they down

 

[shikamaru31789]

Buying Blackberry would give Microsoft 6.6% Smartphone marketshare between Windows Phone and Blackberry. Assuming they could manage to get both Windows Phone and Blackberry to grow moving forward, they could become a close 3rd behind Google and Apple. So I can see why they'd want to buy it.

 

[Guest]

Microsoft are buying these companies for the patents not because their sales are low, the patents are worth more to them than the sales.

 

[gamerk316]

No longer under the specter of Antitrust regulation, the old MSFT is coming back!

 

[Grandmastersexsay]

I hope they don't pay much.

The patents alone are worth billions because unlike Android, BB OS is a secure operating system.

In 2007 those patents may have been worth billions, but today? There are better ways to do everything those patents describe. Name just one that Google, Apple, Samsung, ect. even want.

Microsoft would only potentially want BlackBerry for their name recognition. I'm assuming they can get it rather cheap.

 

[LORD_ORION]

Considering most Blackberry use is on the business side, it sort of makes sense.

I know lots of corporate types who are still on Blackberry and refuse to give it up.

Imagine a Blackberry phone with Nokia quality and Microsoft platform integration.

 

[coupe]

I thought they should do this. I mean BB is tied almost directly with Exchange. This would be a great purchase for MS.

 

[jhansonxi]

Two words sum their acquisitions up: zombie cannibalism.

However, I can't think of any other options they would have.

 

[stevejnb]

I always thought that Blackberry's business phone philosophy would work well in close collaboration with Microsoft's software lineup, since they do have a lot of business standards there. Windows Phone is a bit of a disappointment for the heavily business oriented person, Android is a bit sketchy as far as security goes, and iOS is really the only very strong option beyond Blackberry - but you're stuck tied to Apple, which has some downsides if you're using PC software. If MS actually does this, it may give them an inroad into the enterprise world which no-one else can quite match.

(My boss waited over a year for the new Blackberry to come out when I went with a Lumia 900 and my other buddy switch to Samsung - also my girlfriend's father is totally sold on both the Blackberry phone AND quite likes the Playbook - Blackberry still does have some die-hards)

 

[classzero]

I hope Microsoft doesn't buy Blackberry. Everything they touch lately turns to poo.

 

[jaber2]

Thats one way of dumping cash

 

[spartanmk2]

Microsoft: I will devour their essences!!! (Nokia/BBerry) NOMnomnomnom...

 

[1991ATServerTower]

I still use a BB Bold 9900. It's a solid machine, figuratively and literally. The new Q10 is not built as solidly (lacks the solid steel border that has saved my phone from several drops in the last 20 months) and it lacks the optical track pad for precision pointing/cursor movement. BB10 OS also lacks bridge functionality with the Playbook tablet. Getting a BB10, for my purposes, would be a downgrade.

Something that most people do not realize about BB 4/5/6/7 OS versions is that the work flow for accomplishing routine tasks is amazing, fast, and can be accomplished with just one's thumb on all the QWERTY phones. Taking a picture and sending it via any of the communication options is a great example of this.

1. Press camera button.
2. Aim and press camera button again to take picture.
3. Press menu button.
4. Trackpad through menu to Send > Email/BBM/SMS/etc.
5. Trackpad choose/type recipient.
Done

When I tried a Windows Phone accomplishing the same thing was so convoluted and frustrating, there was no way in hell I was going to use it instead of a Blackberry. Another great thing about my BB9900 is how simple it is toggle connectivity modes. One tap/click on the main screen and I can change the Cell, Wifi, Mobile Hotspot, Bluetooth, and NFC with a single tap/click. Multiply that sentiment by all of the work flow areas where RIM nailed convenient usability and it's very easy to see value in the platform.

People who stick with their Blackberries do so because they are efficient, extremely stable/reliable, and have many capabilities. My Blackberry always "just works", no muss, no fuss, no frustrations.

That said, I'm not really keen on the work flow and all touch UI paradigm of the BB10 OS. Forsaking the innovation of the optical trackpad was a huge step backward and the insistence on integrating social media with email, sms, and bbm is asinine for those of us who do not use social media and enjoy keeping our communication platforms separate.

All that said, RIM ("Blackberry"...) would be a good match for Microsoft or Sony, because it would give their product lines an instant in road to enterprise mobile computing, the market of folks who simply like the BB best, and the ownership of the QNIX operating system, which in itself is a healthy business.

 

[rwinches]

So many can't read for comprehension.
M$ is not getting the patents. Nokia is retaining the ownership.
They are licensing the patents.

 

[vern72]

If Microsoft buys BlackBerry, I'll give up my Q10.